Story& history
Connected by natureFor the love of Africa
In April 2023, my husband and I drove through the gates of what is now Tomo Safari Lodge. Immediately, we went silent and were overwhelmed by the extraordinary beauty of the wilderness that surrounded us. Finally, we had found it – home. A place to start our dream of merging conservation with tourism.
Francesco is Italian and I am South African. We have been living and working in Italy for the last 17 years in a small town called Villa Lagarina, near the start of the Dolomites. Francesco and his family work in the recycled paper industry, and I was working as an English teacher. We have three amazing boys who keep us very busy – Ricky, Benji and Teddy. Our family is a big mix of South Arican and Italian traditions, but we are all connected by our love of nature and wildlife.
True oasisLuxury & comfort
Since the first time Francesco visited South Africa in 2011, he has never wanted to go anywhere else on holiday, and neither do our boys. Our hearts are in Africa, and now at Tomo Safari Lodge, where we hope our guests will fall in love with Africa, create lasting memories, and start to cultivate a love of nature and conservation, which is the key to the future of this planet.
Francesco and I had been searching for the perfect piece of land in South Africa for about 5 years. We looked at and loved many, but when we found Tomo, we knew we had found the one. We started to learn more about the property and the areas around it. In 2018, our property dropped its fences and became part of the Greater Kruger region. This has been incredibly beneficial to the land. The new animals and movement that was allowed by the removal of the fences have brought the area back to life, and it is truly mesmerising to watch.
The lodge itself went through some changes in 2018 as well. Seven out of the nine rooms were renovated. Since then, the main lodge, kitchen, and reception areas have also been renovated. We are sure that the future will bring new and exciting changes to our lodge, as well as plenty of adventures and lifelong memories. We can’t wait to share them with our guests!